The Little Red Hen

Once upon a time in the far off land of Castro Valley there lived a Little Red Hen. She was an exceptionally nice Little Red Hen who was very kind-hearted and always doing thoughtful things for people. One day the Little Red Hen decided to bake some bread. She knew that this would mean a lot of work but being a very industrious Little Red Hen she wasn’t afraid of work and besides she knew that she had a lot of helpers.

The first thing to do was go to the store and buy the flour and yeast and milk and, well you get the idea. The Little Red Hen, while very industrious, had a bad back and didn’t really want to go to the store. So she asked the cat if she would go for her.

“Sorry,” said the cat, “I’m really busy right now. I have all these plants that need to go in the ground and I have to go buy more plants, and I’m going to need a nap soon.”

This didn’t make the Little Red Hen very happy but ok, there were still others she could ask.

The fox didn’t seem to be doing anything so she asked him. “Well I wouldn’t mind but there are some eggs I’m keeping an eye on. Maybe after they hatch but it will be late then. I don’t know, maybe tomorrow.”

This didn’t make the Little Red Hen happy either but she knew the duck was around someplace. She was sure he would go to the store for her. “No can do,” said the duck. “I have a TV show to watch, I can’t be running around to the store.”

So the Little Red Hen got into her car and went to the store by herself.

When she got home she really wanted some help mixing and kneading the bread. Since the cat, the fox and the duck hadn’t helped she thought she’d try the goose.

“Oh, I’d really love to help you,” said the goose, “but you know I just haven’t the time. I’m working on knitting a sweater for the goslings and, well, I’m sure you understand.”

This didn’t make the Little Red Hen happy but she knew the horse was around someplace and was sure he would help her.

“Truly I would like to help you,” the horse said, “but I’ve hurt my hoof and all I could do is stand around and make polite noises. Probably not what you had in mind is it?”

No it wasn’t and this didn’t make the Little Red Hen very happy either. She decided to mix and knead the bread by herself.

Finally the bread was done and baking in the oven. It smelled quite delicious and the Little Red Hen was looking forward to having a piece soon. Just as she was ready to take the bread out of the oven, she looked up and saw the cat, the fox, the duck, the goose, and the horse standing at her door.

“My goodness,” said the cat politely, “that does smell delicious.” The other animals all nodded their heads eagerly in agreement. The Little Red Hen reached into the oven and took out the bread.

“It certainly does smell good.” she agreed. She began to slice a piece for herself. Looking up at the eager faces around her she relented. “Would you all like a piece?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” So the Little Red Hen sliced them each a piece of bread which only left one small piece for her. She was a kind-hearted Little Red Hen though and didn’t really begrudge any of them the bread even though they had all been to busy to help make it. “Maybe next time I make bread you’ll be able to help me?” she said.

“Um, um.” said the cat.

“I’m busy that day,” said the fox.

“Probably not.” said the duck.

“Well, maybe unless something comes up.” said the goose.

“My hoof may not be better.” said the horse.

The Little Red Hen looked at them all, threw up her hands in despair, and went back to her computer.

Now, I’m sure you all recognize there is a moral to this story. I hope that I don’t have to explain it to you or send individual letters, or illustrated stories, or make threatening phone calls. "Qui Tacet Consentit" (735 words)

The Little Red Hen
Oh, I mean Robin

The Lives They Left Behind

While I am often moved to tears, I'm rarely speechless. This site inflicted both conditions on me. The subject is The Willard Suitcase Exhibit and it showcases the contents of suitcases which were found on the site of a New York psychiatric clinic that closed in 1995. When you enter the site, look at the links on the bottom. Using those you can navigate to read information about the suitcase owners, the clinic and the project.

I found it a very moving story. Of the patients shown on the site, three years was the shortest incarceration, 62 years the longest. I really urge everyone to look at this.

This is from the site:
When Willard Psychiatric Center in New York's Finger Lakes closed in 1995, workers discovered hundreds of suitcases in the attic of an abandoned building. Many of them appeared untouched since their owners packed them decades earlier before entering the institution.

The suitcases and their contents bear witness to the rich, complex lives their owners lived prior to being committed to Willard. They speak about aspirations, accomplishments, community connections, but also about loss and isolation. From the clothing and personal objects left behind, we can gain some understanding of who these people were before they disappeared behind hospital walls. We can picture their jobs and careers, see them driving cars, playing sports, studying, writing, and traveling the world. We can imagine their families and friends. But we can also see their lives coming apart due to unemployment, the death of a loved one, loneliness, poverty, or some other catastrophic event.

Robin

This is what you shall do

The favorites quotes post encouraged to post one of my favorite quotes. This is from Mr. Walt Whitman, a pretty perceptive person, and is perhaps the finest bit of advice you can get from an old dead guy who spent much of his life lusting after young guys. This quote has special meaning for me and Kiko.  It is from the preface to the 1830 edition of Leaves of Grass, and we would all do well to take it to heart.

This is what you shall do: love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning god, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul, and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body....

Eleanor Roosevelt

As noted on the right, March is Women’s History Month. In keeping with that theme here is a short biography of a woman I’m sure you’ve all heard of: Eleanor Roosevelt. You’re all aware she was the wife of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and if you click on her name you can read a short biography. I thought I’d share a few other facts about her life that you may not know.

A suffragist who worked to enhance the status of working women, she nevertheless opposed the Equal Rights Amendment because she believed it would adversely affect women. She was appointed by President Truman as a delegate to the UN General Assembly. During her time at the United Nations she chaired the committee that drafted and approved the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She was the first First Lady to hold weekly press conferences. In the 1948 campaign, she was touted by some as the ideal running mate for President Truman. During her lifetime she received 35 honorary degrees, compared to 31 awarded to her husband.

I’ll leave you with a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt:
A mature person is one who does not think only in absolutes, who is able to be objective even when deeply stirred emotionally, who has learned that there is both good and bad in all people and all things, and who walks humbly and deals charitably with the circumstances of life, knowing that in this world no one is all-knowing and therefore all of us need both love and charity.

Favorite Quotes

I think I’ve mentioned a time or two that I love quotes. I’ve been collecting them for years and they come in pretty handy when I have nothing to say! Since my mind is kind of blank lately, I thought I’d share my favorite ones with you. I decided to limit it to 10 and was afraid I’d have a difficult time with that. Surprisingly (at least to me), I didn’t. Despite the many others I have, there is just no contest – these are my absolute favorites. I actually do have a number one favorite, any guesses? Anyway, I’d love to hear what your favorite quotes are. Post them!!!

I want to know God's thoughts; the rest are details.
--Albert Einstein

There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken.
--C.S. Lewis

I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
--Voltaire

I wanted to see London the way old people want to see home before they die.
--Helene Hanff

It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.
--J.R.R. Tolkien

You must do the thing you think you cannot do.
--Eleanor Roosevelt

Things do not change. We change.
-- Henry David Thoreau

Fear not for the future, Weep not for the past.
--Percy Bysshe Shelley

We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.
--Book of Common Prayer

Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.
-- Elizabeth Stone

Robin

Start Your Own Country

As I was sitting here desperately trying to think of something interesting to write about for the edification of my many readers, I remembered a blog posting I'd read a couple of weeks ago. It was a posting on the Foreign Policy blog called How to Start Your Own Country.

I was thinking that perhaps someone out there would like to consider doing this. In order to be eligible, international law specifies four requirements:

1. You must have a defined territory.
2. You must have a permanent population.
3. You must have a government.
4. Your government must be capable of interacting with other states.

I think this sounds pretty easy. Do you think it is ok if you are renting your defined territory? I have a permanent population - Jill, John, Pippin & Mellifera. I can certainly set-up a government. It will be a monarchy, of course. Number four certainly isn't a problem. I interact with the US government on a regular basis. They call it paying taxes, I call it highway robbery, but what's in a name? After you're established you'll want to be recognized by other countries. I'm thinking that tax issue covers that one also.

There you have it, I'm a country - without a name though. Any suggestions?

Robin

100 Things

There is a blogging tradition (ok I just read about it on 1 blog but I'm sure others do it) that for your 100th post you should list 100 things about yourself. This is the 81st post on this blog so we are getting close.

I could, maybe, come up with 100 things about myself. Actually I'm not sure I know 100 things about myself. Anyway they would be pretty boring and since this is a GROUP blog(!) I thought that everyone should contribute.

So here is my idea: In the next 2 weeks I'd like people to send me an email (texeiratimes@gmail.com) with a few things about yourself. Even one thing is fine. It can be something as simple as I like to read or I think this is a dumb blog or I'm running for President in 2012. Then I'm going to put them all together into the 100th post and you can all have fun trying to figure out who they are about. Well, it sounded interesting before I wrote it. . .

Seriously, I like this idea. So start thinking - anyone who is part of the extended Texeira clan (which pretty much includes anyone willing to say hi to me) is welcome to contribute. If you send something & your email doesn't identify you & I might not know you please identify yourself. Pass this posting to your family members - encourage participation!

Warning: If I don't get 100 things then I'll have to tell you about myself. As I said, I'm pretty boring, which means I'll probably let Jill do the posting. Trust me, she can come with 100 things about herself that NOBODY is interested in reading. Optionally I could make up 100 things about all of you, add names & post it - then you'd all be sorry. Please, please, please send me stuff!

Robin

To Think About

The Invitation
by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living.

I want to know what you ache for, and if you

dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are.

I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love,

for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon.

I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow,

if you have been opened by life's betrayals

or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain,

mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own,

if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you

to the tips of your fingers and toes

without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic,

to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true.

I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself;

if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not

betray your own soul; if you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see beauty even when

it's not pretty, every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine,

and still stand on the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, "Yes!"

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how

much money you have. I want to know if you can get up, after the

night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone,

and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied.

I want to know what sustains you, from the inside,

when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

Poor Jill

No one is commenting on her blog. Well I did, of course. She is very, very sad. Here is a picture so you can see how sad she is. All right so this was actually taken because she was sad about the tax thing.

But really folks, check her blog & comment - she'll get all excited & she is kind of cute then.

Feel free to comment on this blog also!!!! I'm not quite as cute as Jill when I get excited, but it will make me happy. You should all feel free to post also! I have two obsessive interests: Tudor England & my cats. I'm willing to blog at extensive, boring lengths on either or both subjects. Just a reminder.

Robin

House-isms

Some thoughts to brighten your day from the witty Dr. Gregory House:

• Just a warning: if we have to start getting ‘consent’ every time we do a procedure, soon it’ll be ‘informed’ consent they’ll want.
• My malpractice insurance doesn’t cover alien autopsies.
• People don’t learn; people don’t change. But you did. You’re a freak.
• I’m a jerk to everyone. Best way to protect yourself from lawsuits.
• You’re right about me being wrong and wrong about you being right.
• To do what I always do in these situations. Treat my patient behind his back and make him better.
• If you want fair, you picked the wrong job, and the wrong profession. And the wrong species.
• I became a doctor because of the movie Patch Adams.
• Because she’s got way more diagnostic experience than the other swimsuit models I was considering.
• Pretty sure there’s no irony-body connection. But it’d be ironic if there was.
• The simple answer is: if you don’t try, you can’t fail. Are you really that simple?
• By rush, I meant fast. Stat's the word you doctors use, right?
• Are you comparing me to God? I mean, it's great, but so you know, I've never made a tree.
• Arrogance has to be earned. Tell me what you've done to earn yours.
• That was awesome. I gotta start pretending to care.
• Loss of free will. I like it. Maybe we can get Thomas Aquinas in for a consult.
• Thanks. I was running short on platitudes. You can leave now.
• I thought I'd get your theories, mock them, then embrace my own. The usual.
• Everything's conditional. You just can't always anticipate the conditions.
• Which is why it's going to be so cool when I turn out to be right.
• Is it still illegal to perform an autopsy on a living person?

Robin

I weep for our future

A news story ran today about an Arizona junior high school that has banned hugs over two seconds. School officials are concerned about excessive groping and sexual assault.

A couple of months ago, a school district in Colorado banned tag. Some students had told teachers that they were being bullied into being chased around the yard.

In a Texas elementary school, a boy in his third period class discovered that the three-inch pocketknife he had taken to his last Boy Scout meeting was still inside his coat - a definite no-no under the school's zero-tolerance policy. Unsure what to do, he consulted a friend before putting the knife in his locker. The friend turned him in and, after lunch, police arrested him and took him to a juvenile-detention center without contacting his parents.

In all three of these cases, schools are using sweeping policies and enforcement rather than education and common sense. Schools are in the business of education, and when they choose alternative methods of dealing with their students, they are teaching lessons of which we, as a society, should be fearful. So, what are those lessons?

"Affection is a bad thing; it is shameful and should be hidden." The result of this is that more and more young people will not share their feelings and activities with their teachers and parents, and as a result, they are likely to make bad decisions — unwanted pregnancies, abusive relationships, etc.

"If you have a problem with somebody, don't talk to them about it." And the corollary "Tag is bad." What this gives us is a society of more litigation, notes left by roommates on refrigerator doors, and snitches. Also, less tag, which is perhaps the most dire of consequences. Seriously, who among you has played tag recently? It's a great game that I can't go more than a month or so without playing. Get out on the streets and play.

"Don't ask, don't tell." Sound familiar. Now we have fourth graders being placed in the position of ratting on their friends, keeping things from their friends and teachers and being treated like criminals for behavior that is clearly not criminal. Ever gone through airport security thinking you were going to breeze through only to discover that your Swiss Army knife was still in the zippered, outside pocket of your backpack? How many of you think you should spend a day in jail for that?

"Problems should be dealt with by making more laws rather than talking to people." So we have a problem with bullying in a school. This should be an opportunity to educate about bullies, how to deal with them, etc. Instead the district legislates with the downstream potential to litigate. These kids will grow up and make more laws in lieu of dialogue.

I truly weep for our future. My advice to all of you with children in this nation's school system: Get involved. Today. Talk to your kid and tell them that it's okay to hug, it's not a sin to play tag, don't be afraid to share things with your friends and your teachers, and don't worry if you go to school with your pocket knife in your pocket. But don't forget to warn them, however, that these actions may land them i juvenile hall for the night.

— Stephen

Attitude Adjustments

We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.
--Viktor Frankl

I love quotes. I have pages full of them saved on my computer and as I'm sure you've all noticed, I change the quote on this blog on a weekly basis. (Every Sunday in case you're wondering when.) Many of them are like the anonymous thoughts I posted a few weeks ago - mildly interesting, witty, partly serious. Some portion of them are incredibly serious and deserving of more than a cursory reading. The above is one of those.

It is a quote from Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. Frankl was a Neurologist and Psychiatrist who spent three years in concentration camps during WWII. You can read more about him if you're interested by clicking on his name. I don't want to rehash what you can easily find elsewhere.

To choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way. There is a great deal to think about in that. Very often we (at least this part of we), think that circumstances control us. Sometimes really lousy stuff happens and it is easy to get caught up in believing that we have no control. Often we don't have much control. Other people make decisions that affect us, weather changes, planes crash, things happen. But always we can choose how we are going to view it. How we respond and deal with what happens will always be our own decision. We can cry and moan and wait to die or we can go out and share our food. And in doing that, in choosing our attitude, we find the path to choosing our own way.

Robin

N = R* • fp • ne • fl • fi • fc • L

In 1961 an astronomer named Frank Drake presented the above equation called, surprisingly enough, the Drake Equation, as a method of estimating the number of technological civilizations that might exist in the universe. Dr. Drake's current solution for N is 10,000. Other solutions begin at less than 0.

I find this very fascinating stuff, I think it would be amazingly cool if we made contact with an alien civilization. Of course, if they want to kill us all I probably won't be really happy. But at least it would have happened, we'd actually know that someone is out there. Some things are worth the risk I think.

I thought about this because of a New York Times article I found mentioned in one of the 196 blogs I read (don't you feel lazy!). Dr. Drake, who is 76 now, says that he doesn't think contact will be made in his lifetime. I thought that was kind of sad.

Anyway, here is an explanation of the terms in the equation:

N = The number of civilizations in The Milky Way Galaxy whose electromagnetic emissions are detectable.
R* =The rate of formation of stars suitable for the development of intelligent life.
fp = The fraction of those stars with planetary systems.
ne = The number of planets, per solar system, with an environment suitable for life.
fl = The fraction of suitable planets on which life actually appears.
fi = The fraction of life bearing planets on which intelligent life emerges.
fc = The fraction of civilizations that develop a technology that releases detectable signs of their existence into space.
L = The length of time such civilizations release detectable signals into space.

If you are interested in this stuff you might want to check out the SETI Institute. There is a lot of interesting stuff on their site!

Robin

Mission Cat

As I mentioned in yesterday's post (which I'm sure you've all memorized), I went to Salinas yesterday. Before Salinas I had visited Mission Nuestra Senora de la Soledad. Soledad is the 13th mission in the 21 mission chain that runs from Sonoma to San Diego. It was named for our Lady of Solitude, which is another name for Mary.

I like this mission because it is a ways off the highway & not sitting in the middle of a busy city as some of them are. You can get a much better sense of what it must have been like to live in the mission era here than you do at other missions.It's very quiet and peaceful there, I think I saw maybe 6 other people during my visit. It isn't the best mission to visit during the summer as there is little shade and it gets pretty hot down there. The end of February is a nice time though. Yesterday was a beautiful day and I could see for miles around because it was so clear.

Two interesting things happened to me at the mission. First I made a friend and second I believe I convinced someone I was crazy. As I was looking around the gift shop I heard a meow & turning saw a cat sitting on the counter. This was not just any cat but a Pippin cat! (That means he looks like my cat Pippin.) And not just some faint resemblance - this cat could have been his twin, although he was smaller than Pippin. Anyway he really liked me and let me hold him and started purring and licking my hand. The woman who worked at the gift shop didn't seem to be much of a cat lover but was tolerating him. I kept saying how much he looked like my cat and I was so amazed at the resemblance that I opened my wallet & showed her a picture of Pippin. Now you all know my big secret; I carry pictures of my cats in my wallet. Don't spread it around. Anyway she looked at the picture, smiled politely and said she guessed that was why the cat was so attracted to me. I'm pretty sure she was thinking something along the lines of, "when will this fruitcake leave?" I think that my taking pictures of the cat pretty well confirmed her estimation of my sanity.

Above is a picture of the mission cat & below is a picture of Pippin. He does have white paws also, just like the mission cat. I'm pretty sure they are related!